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Michigan Socialist At Workers of the World Unite! Vol. 7, No. 1 w FALL 2009 wLABOR DONATEDw $2 ($3 SOLIDARITY) TheThe EighteenthEighteenth BrumaireBrumaire ofof JoeJoe thethe PlumberPlumber 1 The MICHIGAN SOCIALIST contents The Eighteenth Brumaire of Joe the Plumber: U.S. Editor: Nicol Partida Financial Meltdown Conjures Resurgent Specters of Political Farce...........................................................p. 3 Editorial Collective: Matt Erard Matt Erard Skipper Hammond Sara McClean Mike Treacy A Case Study of Power and Media: The Washington Post............................................................................p. 5 SPMI member Adam Adrianson also greatly contributed to producing the lay-out for this issue. Max Kantar The Michigan Socialist (TMS) is the magazine of the Socialist Party of Michigan (SPMI), affiliate of the Socialist Party USA. P.O. Box 844, Marquette MI Barnes and Noble Sucks..........................................p. 6 49855; email: [email protected]; WWW: Richard Monroe http://www.spmichigan.org All submissions to the Michigan Socialist can be sent by email or snail mail. Submissions sent by email should be sent to: [email protected]. Hardcopy Socialist Party of Michigan Statement: U.S. Financial submissions should be sent to: SPMI P.O. Box 844, Meltdown Spotlights Profit System’s Failure and the Marquette, MI 49855. Need for Economic Democracy...............................p. 7 Signed articles do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of the Socialist Party of Michigan, which are expressed in editorial statements, or of the Socialist Party USA. The Editorial Collective of the Michigan Socialist Party of Michigan 2008 Election Socialist reserves the right to edit all articles for typography, spelling, and grammar without Results.......................................................................p. 8 consultation. On all author matters of editing, the Editorial Collective with attempt to collaborate with authors as much as possible. No Car Czar’s, No Capitalists, No Bailouts, No Bosses! Socialist Party USA - Outline of Principles: THE SOCIALIST PARTY strives to establish a radical Socialist Party of Michigan Statement on the U.S. democracy that places peoples’ lives under their own Automotive Industry Bailout....................................p. 10 control; a non-racist, classless, feminist, non- heterosexist socialist society...where working people own and control the means of production and distribution, through democratically-controlled Remember Stonewall? Do we even know what Stonewall committees and assemblies; where full employment is meant? Socialist Party Statement on the 40th Anniversary realized for everyone who wants to work; where workers have the right to form unions freely, and to of the Stonewall Rebellion.......................................p. 11 strike and engage in other forms of job actions; and Amber R. Clifford-Napoleone where the production of society is used for the benefit of all humanity, not for the private profit of a few. We believe socialism and democracy are one and Arts Review : Sex Pistols Rockumentary The Filth and indivisible. The working class is in a key and central the Fury and Detroit Hip-Hop Artist 'Invincible'.......p. 12 position to fight back against the ruling capitalist class Sayan Bhattacharyya and its power. The working class is the major force worldwide that can lead the way to a socialist future – Socialist Party of Michigan Condemns Corporate Parties' to a real radical democracy from below. The Socialist Party fights for progressive changes Stratified Assault on State Budget............p. 16 compatible with a socialist future. We support militant working class struggles and electoral action, Socialist Party Condemns Post-Election Racist independent of the capitalist-controlled two-party system, to present socialist alternatives. We strive for Attacks.......................................................................p. 23 democratic social revolutions — radical and fundamental changes in the structure and nature of Proletarian Poetry.....................................................p. 24 economic, political and social relations — to abolish the power now exercised by the few who control the Nicol Partida economy and the government. The Socialist Party is a democratic, multi-tendency organization, with structure and practices visible and accessible to all members. 2 The The MICHIGAN MICHIGAN SOCIALIST SOCIALIST cover article The Eighteenth Brumaire of Joe the Plumber U.S. Financial Meltdown Conjures Resurgent Specters of Political Farce second time as farce." Marx wrote unprecedented assaults on U.S. By MATT ERARD this, still often quoted, but seldom citizens’ most fundamental The Michigan Socialist contextually attributed line in his Constitutional protections by both Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis corporate parties, the U.S. military hen the leading Bonaparte; an essay principally establishment has now embarked upon commentators of the U.S. focused upon the French state’s increasingly vigilant preparations to Wcapitalist establishment superficial orientation to the middle counter the rising threat of began their exclamations of victory class, as an essential means to quell revolutionary upsurge against the following the Soviet Union’s 1991 the threat of volatile class present social order’s now universally dissolution, few would have antagonisms. conspicuous decline. Having already entertained the possibility that the Within 'The Eighteenth successfully established term "socialism" might re-emerge at Brumaire,' Marx directly goes on to unprecedented curtailments of the the center of American political observe that, rights of personal privacy, association, discourse less than two decades later. "The tradition of all dead and habeas corpus, the recent wave of But following Merriam-Webster’s generations weighs like a nightmare economic crisis, now enshrouding the announcement of its "words of the on the brains of the living. And just as global capitalist order, has led the year" at the very close of 2008, the they seem to be occupied with 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, restricting unanticipated return of the word revolutionizing themselves and things, the military from domestic law "socialism" to everyday household creating something that did not exist enforcement, to become the most usage could hardly have been more before, precisely in such epochs of recent of such targets. officially pronounced. Socialism had revolutionary crisis they anxiously As of last October, the not just appeared on the list Merriam- conjure up the spirits of the past to Pentagon has established the first ever Webster’s list of words of the year, it their service, borrowing from them permanent deployment of an active- had taken the place of number three! names, battle slogans, and costumes duty military brigade within the Now looking back to the in order to present this new scene in borders of the United States. As preceding decade, when American world history in time-honored reported by Army Times, the first unit capitalism’s ideological engineers disguise and borrowed language." to be deployed is the 3rd Infantry proclaimed "the end of history," from Division’s 1st Brigade Combat team, the apparent failure of the ‘workers of Although the present economic composed of approximately 4,700 crisis has yet to confront the world’s troops who have spent 35 of the the world to unite’ by the 20th ruling classes with a period of preceding 60 months patrolling in Century’s close, one is pressed in "revolutionary crisis," at no point "full battle rattle" in Iraq. Under hindsight to question what since the post-War "Red Scare," have presently established plans, the consideration they may have given to conditions led them to so "anxiously permanent domestic deployment is set another one of Marx’s most well conjure up the spirits of the past to to include over 20,000 troops by 2011. known aphorisms; regarding the same their service." Throughout the rein of Among the functions listed in its human political history they claimed the Bush regime, the U.S. government officially assigned mission are, then to have just concluded. began to undertake exceedingly "surveillance activities," and Only four years after the drastic measures to expand the providing "support for civilian law- publication of the 'Communist suppressive capabilities of the enforcement branches like local police Manifesto,' Marx observed that, "all executive branch toward prospective and rescue personnel, and situations great world-historic facts and future threats of political upheaval. involving civil unrest, crowd control, personages appear, so to speak, Following the past near-decade of or catastrophes." twice… the first time as tragedy, the 3 The The MICHIGAN MICHIGAN SOCIALIST SOCIALIST The American Civil Liberties address rapidly expanding human came from the architect of the recent Union notes that, "The deployment of insecurity at home...Under the most bailout of the U.S. financial sector an active unit within the United States extreme circumstances, this might himself – then U.S. Treasury is also troubling given recent include use of military force against Secretary, and former Goldman-Sachs evidence of the Defense Department’s hostile groups inside the United CEO, Henry Paulson. According to involvement in warrantless States. Further, DoD would be, by both U.S. Senator James Inhofe (R- surveillance." Such evidence stems necessity, an essential hub for the OK) and U.S. Congressman Brad from the Pentagon Threat and
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